🔗 Share this article

Protesters gathered outside the legislative building this week

The Baltic nation's lawmakers have decided to withdraw from an global treaty designed to safeguard women from abuse, covering family violence, following extensive and intense discussions in the parliament.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Riga this week to oppose the decision. The final authority now lies with Head of State the nation's president, who must determine whether to endorse or veto the proposed law.

Referred to as the European treaty, the 2011 agreement only became active in the Baltic state last twelve months ago, mandating governments to establish legal frameworks and support services to eliminate all forms of violence.

Latvia has become the first EU country to initiate the procedure of withdrawing from the convention. Turkey pulled out in 2021, a decision that rights groups described as a major regression for women's rights.

Political Controversy and Resistance

The treaty was approved by the European Union in 2023, yet conservative groups have argued that its focus on equal rights weakens family values and promotes what they term "non-traditional gender concepts".

Following a thirteen-hour debate in the Latvian parliament, lawmakers voted by a margin of 56-32 to exit from the convention, a action proposed by opposition parties but backed by representatives from one of the three coalition parties.

The result represents a defeat for moderate conservative Prime Minister the nation's PM, who joined demonstrators outside parliament earlier this seven-day period. "We will not surrender, we will persist in our struggle so that violence will not prevail," she stated to the assembly.

Ideological Disagreements and Reactions

One of the primary parties supporting the withdrawal is Latvia First, whose leader has urged citizens to select from what he terms a "natural family" and "non-binary concepts with multiple sexes".

Latvia's human rights commissioner Karina Palkova urged the agreement not to be politicized, while the organization Equality Now asserted it was "not a danger to Latvian values, it was an instrument to realize them".

The Thursday's decision has sparked widespread outcry both within the country and abroad.

22,000 people have signed a national appeal demanding the treaty to be maintained. The women's rights organization Centrs Marta has called a demonstration for the coming week, accusing lawmakers of disregarding the wishes of the nation's citizens.

Global Worries and Potential Future Actions

The leader of the European organization's parliamentary assembly stated that the Baltic state had made a hasty choice driven by false information. He described it as an "unprecedented and deeply concerning regression for female equality and human rights in Europe".

He noted that since Turkey left the treaty in 2021, instances of femicide and abuse targeting females had increased significantly.

Because the vote did not achieve a supermajority majority, the head of state could possibly return the bill for additional consideration if he has objections.

Head of State the national leader stated on social media that he would assess the decision according to constitutional principles, "taking into account state and legal considerations, instead of ideological or political viewpoints".

Recently, another component of the governing alliance, the Progressives, suggested it would not exclude petitioning to the supreme judicial body.

"This vote represents a worrisome development for gender equality not only in Latvia but across Europe," commented a human rights advocate.

• Family violence statistics have been increasing in multiple European countries
• The Istanbul Convention requires specific legal protections for victims of domestic abuse
• The nation's vote could affect comparable debates in additional EU countries